Conquest and Covenant

154

If you are at all familiar with the military, you know that rankings exist. From privates to the commander in chief, some have leadership and authority over others. Privates follow sergeants who follow lieutenants who follow captains who follow majors who follow colonels who follow generals. Moreover, when a superior is highly respected because of his character and leadership, those under him actually delight in obeying the superior. A student of mine once told me about his grandfather who served in World War II. His grandfather was in a foxhole seeking shelter when all of a sudden General Patton jumped in! They exchanged words, and they continued to fight. This soldier gladly obeyed Patton because of his respect for him.

Soldiers know the voice of their leader. We likewise must pay attention to God’s voice, the ultimate Commander in Chief! Be careful to listen to His voice and follow His instruction. Jesus said that His sheep know His voice and follow Him, but His sheep do not follow the voice of a stranger (John 10:4-5). Christ has led with holy character and unparalleled sacrifice, and we who follow Him should delight in His word.

In this passage, we see a number of important expressions related to the idea of obeying God’s word (see 23:21-22; 24:3, 7). We also find important truths related to trusting in God, following Him, receiving His blessing, the covenant, and living for God’s glory. If you briefly scan this passage, you can see that God is the main character of the story. God gave the victory. God’s voice was to be obeyed. God provided the155 blessing. God made and sealed the covenant. God was to be worshiped forever.

God rescues and redeems us, and we should follow and worship, trust and obey Him. With this in mind, let us see why and how we should do this. I will divide the passage into three main parts: (1) the conquest promised, (2) the covenant confirmed, and (3) the glory of God beheld.

The Conquest Promised

Exodus 23:20-33

God began by explaining that He would send an angel. People today are fascinated with angels (and demons). We see them in books, TV shows, and movies, yet people have great misconceptions and misunderstandings about angels. We should be careful not to get our understanding of angels from our culture. We need to understand the role and character of angels from God’s perspective through Scripture.

The angel in Exodus 23 was a warrior angel. Do not imagine a plump, cherubic angel with pretty wings and a harp, lounging on a cloud. This angel was quite different from that cartoonish picture. Think of the angel in Psalm 91:11: “[God] will give His angels orders concerning you, to protect you in all your ways.” Instead of picturing a delicate, baby-like angel, imagine a majestic warrior angel (see also Josh 5:13-15, “the commander of the Lord’s army”).

Theologians provide at least five possible identities of this angel. (1) The angel could be the glory cloud that led the Israelites day and night. However, a cloud is an inanimate object, whereas the angel described here is a living, moving, and speaking being. (2) The angel could be a metaphor for the guidance and help of the Lord Himself. Yet the text clearly says God would send the angel who would do certain things. This does not seem like a metaphor. (3) The angel could be a human being, or a messenger. While some speculate this messenger was Moses, we know that he did not enter the promised land, making this option unlikely. Or, the messenger could have been Joshua. The text says God’s name was “in him” (v. 21). This is possible since Joshua is the Hebrew name of Jesus. Yet the text also implies the angel has the authority to forgive sin, which is problematic if it refers to Joshua. (4) The angel could be an actual angel, perhaps Michael the archangel. We see him at work battling the Devil in Jude 9 and Revelation 12:7. While this is plausible, it is156 still problematic because the angel is able to forgive sin. (5) The angel could be the pre-incarnate Christ. The description that God’s “name is in him” fits well here, along with his having the authority to forgive sins. However, why would God refer to him as an angel? Despite not having clarity of the angel’s identity, we certainly think of Christ. Like the angel, Christ is our guardian and guide (Matt 8:20; John 14:6); like the angel, Jesus speaks to us with the authority and message of God (Luke 9:35); like the angel, Jesus bears the name of God, for He is the image of the invisible God (Heb 1:3).

Consider three applications from this text: trust in God’s victory, obey God’s commands, and receive God’s blessing.

Trust in God’s Victory (23:20, 22b-23, 27-31)

Notice first how often God is spoken of in these verses. See the first person singular pronoun, “I.” God was going to win the victory. God would work on behalf of His people to bring about His purposes for their lives. God even sent hornets to protect His people (v. 28)! While this could be figurative, imagine thousands of hornets going after the Canaanites. It would be chaos! Think in your own life. Do you panic when there is a bee around you? I understand if you are allergic to them, but even if you are not, no one wants to be stung by a bee. In fact, I bet some of you go downright crazy. You get scared, panic, and run for cover. If so, that gives you a good idea of what was going to happen in Canaan.

For the Israelites, God was their holy bouncer, if you will. He went before them, and through His agents and power He would strike fear into their enemies. God, the all-powerful Creator and Sustainer, goes before you in the battle. How can you be concerned about losing? Why would you not trust Him and have faith in the victory? We see this later when Moses sent in the 12 spies, including Caleb and Joshua. While ten did not have faith that they could conquer the land, the other two had no doubts.

Now for us, we likewise must trust God to win the victory. As far as our eternal salvation, the victory is already won. Therefore, since God has won the ultimate battle, we can rest assured that He will be with us in our smaller battles. This does not allow us to be passive observers; it simply means that we do not fight alone. We should be on watch; and pray, study, and apply God’s Word; and “be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength” (Eph 6:10).

Obey God’s Commands (23:21-22a, 24-25a, 31b, 32-33)

157

God also promised to provide the victory. And what were the Israelites to do? Sit back and watch? Be spectators and enjoy the blessing? What did God expect of His people? Obedience! But how? What were they to do and not do? Notice the instructions in 21-22a, 24-25a, 31b, and 32-33:

God made two essential demands on the Israelites. First, they were forbidden to worship the gods of the Canaanites (v. 24a). Second, God told them to destroy the idols and sacred stones of the Canaanites (v. 24b).

For us, we should never compromise in giving God all our worship. We too should do everything we can to distance ourselves from sin, destroying the idols of our hearts. The Lord demands and deserves our exclusive allegiance.

How are you doing at detecting and destroying idols in your life? What are the idols in your heart that compete with the Holy One for your affections, your heart, your time, your resources, your attention, your love? We must remember that idols are not always innately bad things. When we make good things a “god thing,” then they must be destroyed. We often times deny recognizing idols in our own lives. However, you can know it is an idol when you sin to get it or sin when it is taken away. When those good desires become idols, we are worshiping and loving something more than God. God warns the Israelites and us against this. These things will trap us and draw us away from God. And God doesn’t simply say to avoid those idols. He says destroy them! Will you obediently destroy your idols?

Receive God’s Blessing (23:25b-26, 29-30)

158

Next God promised to bless His people as His people served Him. How was the Lord going to do that for Israel? In 25b-26 and 29-30, He promised to provide plenty of food and water, good health, large families, long life, and most of all the promised land, the inheritance He had prepared for them.

Understand this word of caution: God gave these promises for a specific people at a specific time for a specific purpose. God promised to protect and provide for His chosen people from which the Messiah would come. This does not mean that if you obey the Ten Commandments and the rest of the law you will never get sick, never starve, have lots of children, and live a long life. It also does not mean that when Christians suffer it is necessarily due to their disobedience. We do know that Jesus suffered. He promised His followers they would not only suffer but they would even be hated (John 15:18-20). Suffering will not end until we get to Heaven. And when we do, we will no longer hunger, or suffer, or mourn. John said, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will no longer exist; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous things have passed away” (Rev 21:4).

God gave the people of Israel a specific promise, at a specific time, for a specific purpose—and it was a good promise. But with the new covenant, for those who have faith in Christ Jesus, we have a better promise and we will receive a better promised land. Are you ready for that? Do you long for that? Do you savor the certainty that God keeps His promises and will lead you into His eternal promised land? I hope you do!

The Covenant Confirmed

Exodus 24:1-8

When talking about covenants, remember that for any covenant to be established it has to be confirmed by both parties. This happens in chapter 24. Chapters 20-23 lay out the terms of the covenant, and chapter 24 tells us how it was confirmed. Exodus 24 is also the story of a worship service, the first of its kind. In this one chapter, we have the following:

• a call to worship,
• the reading of God’s Word,
• a confession of faith and commitment to obedience,
• and the sharing of a holy meal.

159All of this is under the oversight of an appointed servant of God and the elders, and in the presence of a holy and glorious God.

Nadab and Abihu were present (v. 1). They were Aaron’s two eldest sons who would have been the next high priests in the line. However, they died later under God’s judgment because of their unauthorized sacrifice (Lev 10:1-2; Num 3:4). In verse 2 Moses was alone. He was the chosen mediator between God and the Israelites. He represented the people before God. He went between a holy God and a sinful people. He was the only one permitted to draw near. In this, God taught His people to honor and respect His holiness.

We can only draw close to God and be in His presence if we come on His terms, in the way He has appointed—through an appointed mediator. Back then it was through Moses and the priests. Now it is only through Jesus Christ, the “one mediator between God and humanity” (1 Tim 2:5).

After God had set the terms for the covenant, the people affirmed the covenant (vv. 3, 7). They promised to do all the words He had said. Moses told all the people the “commands” and the “ordinances” that God had given. The “commands” likely refer to the Ten Commandments themselves (20:2-17). The “ordinances” were the laws that provided specific instruction, which followed the commandments (chs. 21-23). This, then, is the “covenant scroll” (24:7). After hearing the “commands” and “ordinances,” the people unanimously agreed to keep them—to be obedient. They even did this a second time, after Moses had written them down (v. 4) and read them aloud (v. 7). Thus they doubly confirmed the covenant with their current verbal promise in addition to the promise they had made in 19:8.

Why did he read it twice, and why did they promise to obey twice? The first time was so they could understand and accept it. They declared their intent. The second time was so they could promise to obey and confirm it. They took their vows. This is not foreign to us. We do the same thing in our wedding ceremonies. First, you declare your intent (“I will” or “I do”); second, you say your vows. In the case of the Israelites, their obedience did not last long. Moses stepped away for a few days and they immediately disobeyed.

Notice some other important components to this covenant process. Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. In ancient times, covenants were always written down. Unless they were written, they were not finalized. As we saw in our introduction to the book, this verse also confirms160 Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch. Another component was the building of an altar. After writing down the words, Moses came to build an altar, for the covenant was to be sealed with blood. The altar was used for burnt offerings and sacrificial peace offerings. With a burnt offering, the whole animal was consumed by fire. With a peace offering, the animal was not consumed by fire. Instead, meat was grilled and eaten after the blood had been drained. This is where the blood comes from in verses 6 and 8. The blood sprinkled on the altar was God’s blood, signifying that He was one party to the covenant. The portion of blood that Moses put in bowls was for sprinkling on the people, as a sign that they were recipients of the benefit the shed blood provided.

We are told in Hebrews, “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Heb 9:22). Since the fall, blood has been the basis of man’s relationship with God—in terms of sin and forgiveness. Without the blood, there can be no access to God because there is no forgiveness of sin (cf. Eph 1:7; Rev 1:5).

This idea of “the blood of the covenant” is expanded in the New Testament. Hebrews 9 provides a glorious description of this idea. We see confirmation that Jesus ushered in a new covenant through the shedding of His blood. This new covenant is also seen specifically in regard to the Lord’s Supper (Matt 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; 1 Cor 11:25; Heb 9:20; 10:29; 12:24; 13:20).

When you consider the confirmation of God’s covenant, are you determined to obey the word of God? When Moses told the people the words and laws of the Lord, they responded twice in unity, “We will do and obey everything that the Lord has commanded.” Are you resolved to obey God no matter the circumstances, by His grace, for His glory?

The truth is we all, like Israel, fail to obey. But when this happens, we must look to the One who did obey perfectly, the One who provides us with His righteousness. Jesus Christ—the radiance of God’s glory, Who holds the universe by His power—shed His own blood for you.

Perhaps you have heard the phrase in corporate worship, “The blood of Christ, shed for you.” What a powerful statement and reminder of the work of the Lord Jesus. Do you dwell on this truth? Do you cherish the fact that Christ poured out His blood for you? He ushered in a new covenant, sealed with His own blood. This gives us reason to celebrate with joy inexpressible, for our King has paid our ransom. This moves us to humble obedience for the glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Some of you reading this undoubtedly do not know this 161Jesus and His provision of grace. How I pray that you will rest in the work of Jesus today!

The Glory of God Beheld

Exodus 24:9-18

Seventy-four people ascended Mount Sinai to represent all Israel in the covenant meal. Can you imagine this scene? Do you get nervous when you eat a meal with someone important? Imagine dining with God on His mountain! Verses 10-11 tell us that they saw God. What does this mean? What did they actually see? They probably saw some sort of general shape that He allowed them to see vaguely. Ezekiel and Amos had similar visions (Ezek 1:26-28; Amos 7:7). Quite possibly they saw God from below since the description we have is of His feet and the pavement. It is also possible this was a vision of the pre-incarnate Christ. No matter what conclusion you arrive at, we know that “no one can see [God] and live” (Exod 33:20).

God did not raise His hand against these leaders; they did not die after seeing Him (v. 11). There are two likely reasons. First, they did not see God fully, but only a vague or partial vision of Him. Second, God deliberately chose not to “send His hand” (divine judgment through a display of supernatural power) against them. It was not God’s intention to punish them. This meeting and meal was part of His plan. They had an invitation! But why did God show Himself, albeit only vaguely and partially? It was so that Israel would understand He was a willing party to the covenant. They would remember that they agreed to the keep His covenant in His actual, unmistakable presence.

God gave them a glimpse of His majesty. They ate and drank in His presence. It just keeps getting better! If getting a glimpse of God was not enough, they were given a further privilege—to share a meal with Him. Sharing a meal was a symbolic act of friendship. It showed that they had fellowship (communion) with God.

We should remember the importance of sharing a meal. Whether it is with your small group, your church, a few friends, your family, your neighbors, or your coworkers, the table is a big deal. You do the work of and follow the example of God. Later, Jesus earned the reputation of being a “glutton and a drunkard” (Luke 7:34; cf. 14:12-14; 15:1-2) because of His pattern of using the table as a place to express fellowship with others and to live out the mission of reaching sinners. Use162 your meals for the good of others and the glory of God! And remember, there is another meal coming. Look forward to the “marriage feast of the Lamb” (Rev 19:9). Believers will dine with the risen Jesus.

In the meantime, God has given us a special meal to remind us we belong to Him by covenant. Some call this meal the Lord’s Supper. At the congregation where I serve as a pastor, we enjoy it every week. Every week we remember the sacrifice of Jesus and we look forward to the wedding supper of the Lamb.

In verse 12 God spoke to Moses individually: “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Come up to Me on the mountain and stay there so that I may give you the stone tablets with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.’” Moses received these tablets in writing, a sign of an authenticated covenant.

Verses 15-18 tell us more of Moses’ experience with God in His glory cloud. The cloud reminds us of chapters 13-14. There we read of the pillar of cloud that appeared during the day and the pillar of fire that appeared at night to guide the Israelites. The cloud had already served as a protection and guide for the Israelites in their flight from the Egyptians. This current manifestation only confirmed that the cloud represented God’s glorious presence: awesome, multifaceted, partly mysterious, but also protective and encompassing.

Now we must ask, “What about us?” Remember, this was a big worship service, and like Moses and the Israelites, we are invited to participate. This is the story of their salvation and in a sense ours, too. Like the Israelites, God calls us to worship Him and speaks to us by His Word. Like the Israelites, we are separated from God because of our sin and therefore have to keep our distance. But then God, in His grace, provided a sacrifice of atonement through the blood of His covenant. For the Israelites it was the blood of an animal; for us it is the blood of Jesus. Once our sins have been forgiven, we can enjoy fellowship with God. We can sit down and enjoy His banquet. Now we do it through the Lord’s Supper; later in Heaven we will enjoy the meal at His table.

Reflect and Discuss

1. What qualities in a military officer cause people to consider insubordination? What qualities cause unswerving obedience and devotion? Which of these qualities can be seen in God?
2. 163What are the popular ways of picturing angels in current culture? What do biblical angels do? What do their activities imply about their appearance? How are they described?
3. God promised to bring victory in Israel’s battles. What specific battles in your life are certain to be won because God fights for you?
4. What happens to an army when the soldiers refuse to obey the commands they are given? What happens when some soldiers take orders from the enemy? How does this apply to the church?
5. God promised the children of Israel health, prosperity, and the promised land. What does that mean for Christians? How would you respond to someone who teaches otherwise?
6. God could have demanded obedience unilaterally, but He initiated a covenant between Himself and His people. How is this an indication of grace? How do fear and gratitude play parts in our obedience to God in the new covenant?
7. How would you respond to a non-Christian who said, “If God showed up right now, I’d give Him a piece of my mind! I’d get in His face and tell Him what for!” What should be our attitude in worship and prayer?
8. Have you ever had the privilege of sharing a meal with an important or famous person? How does that compare with God’s invitation to have a close relationship with Him through Christ? How can we learn to appreciate the grace and mercy and privilege that is ours?
9. How can meals and other forms of hospitality be used as an opportunity to invite others to know Christ?
10. How does the Lord’s Supper compare with this covenant confirmation feast? Does celebrating the Lord’s Supper imply that we promise to affirm and obey our covenant with God through Christ?